Oh a rle s a



(No Model.)

0. A. THOMPSON.

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING DUPLICATE COPIES OF WRITINGS. No. 398,864.

Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

(HARLEQ A. TITOMPSOX, (ll NltlV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING DUPLICATE COPIES OF WRITINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,864, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed June 23, 1887. Serial No. 242,335. (No model.)

To aZl whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, ti nannns A. Tnonrson, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Obtaining Duplicate Copies of \Vrit ings, &c., of which the following a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for obtaining duplicate copies of writings from a I I I in the reverse, and such sheetbeing of a suitable nature to admit will be in and through its thickness impregnated and saturated with the aniline, &c., from side to side thereof, as outlined by such characters. This stencilsheet is then secured on the lower side of the moving plate I) in any suitable manner, having its face presenting the characters in the stencil or transfer sheet; and the specific matt er of my improvement consists in the improved construction and arrangement or combination of parts hereinafter disclosed, and

embodied in specific claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of an apparatus embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. is aface view to show the appearance of the side of the stencil-sheet against which the writing is placed to receive an impression. Fig. 4 is a view hereinafter referred to in connection V 7 in a tank, M, and thence to and between ally hung on a shaft, P, which rotatesin bearings in the uprights from the turning of the 1 crank-arm G or otherwise.

II represents what is termed the stencilsheetflfrom which to obtain reproductions of the characters thereon and which will now be described. This stencil may be produced in "various waysas, for instance, by placing the sheetH of paper between two shee I, impregnated or covered with a composi. on of divisible aniline or carbon or similar substancefl with the prepared faces of such sheets against each face of the stencil-sheet H. Then with a pencil or stylus point tracing with sufiicient pressure on one of the prepared sheets the characters desired, such characters will be transi regulated that the paper will, while the plate ferred in aniline, &c., on the upper side, 03, of the sheet H straight forward, and from the under aniline sheet such characters will be transferred on the under side of the sheet H reverse outward. Paper of suitable nature is placed on the bed B of the press, and the moving plate with the stencil sheet H is brought against it and will impart therefrom the characters thereon.

It is preferable that the sheets to receive the impressions from the stencil be dampened with a regular and uniform moisture, and in the drawings is shown a means of securing such dampening, to be now described. The paper to receive the impressions is preferably in the form of a strip, J, wound about a roll, K, hung in suitable bearings. It is then passed under a roll,L, the under side of which lies below the surface of watcror other liquid squeeZer-rollers N N, and then is carried over the bed or base-plate B of the press in posi tion to receive an impression from the stencil-sheet II when it is forced upon said sheet J. The introduction of the strip of paper .I under the roll L in the water and thence through the squcezer-rollers X X sufficientlv dam pens the strip and equalizes the moisture. The turning by the crank-arm G of the shaft 1 rotates the eccentric-disk E, and through its strapconnection the plate I), carrying the stencil, is m ovcd dowmvardlv into contact with the baseplate (or with the paper strip there on) for an instant only, and is carried upwardly again out of such contact. By suitably connecting a belt, 0, from the shaft F with feed-rolls P P the paper is drawn off the paper-roll K under the roll L, between the squeezer-rolls N N and over the base-plate B, and after passing through said feed-rolls may be wound upon a take-up roll, R, or otherwise disposed of.

The speed given to the feed-rolls P P is so D is passing through one upward and clownward movement, be caused to travel a distance as rent at least as that between the Lil first line of writing on the stencil-sheet and the last line thereon; and from the above it will be plain that by providing in the plate D of the press a stencil-sheet in which the demarkation of the characters is sufficientlyimpregnated with a divisible substance, like aniline, substantially as described, and operating the said plate I) through suitable means successively against a sheet of paper lying 011 the base-plate B of the press, which paperbetween such successive operations of the press is moved forward, impression after impression is obtained on a strip of paper of one writing or delineation, and the portions of the paper strip J may be separated between the points of boundary of the various impressions, and this production of duplicate copies or impressions may be continued until the supply of aniline in the stencil-sheet has been exhausted.

Obviously, instead of placing the stencil upon the moving plate H and forcing same against the paper resting upon the base-plate B, it is substantially equivalentthereto to place the stencil upon the stationary baseplate B and press the paper firmly against it by the contact thereupon of the moving plate D.

A stencil of the character described, instead of being produced by being placed be tween two prepared sheets and marked by a stylus-point, may be produced by the impression and impact of type-face set up in form or received separately and successively from a ty )e-writer,.as customary in printing or writing with a type-writing machine, and in Fig. 5 is shown a stencil-sheet of substantially the same character as hereinbefore described, which consists in a sheet, H, having the characters thereon formed of a series of perforations or abrasions, m-such as may be produced by the proper employment of the wellknown electric perforated needle-pen, or by the cyclostyle pen, as knownbehind which sheetis placed a pad, 92, impregnated with aniline, 810. \Vhen such pad is forced upon the tablet on which the paper rests, the aniline is expressedthrough the abrasions or perforations in the stencil-sheet and will be imprinted upon the paper sheet, and this form of stencil-sheet is intended to be considered in substance the same as that h creinbefore described in principle and effect.

As the method herein described of preparing the stencil or transfer-sheet (shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,) constitutes the subject-matter of a separate and distinct application for a patent filed by me June 18, 1887, under Serial No. M1538, such matter is not claimed herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a manifold printing or transferring apparatus, the combination of a platen reciprocating in suitable ways, an opposite bedplate, and an imprinting stencil-sheet secured to the face of the platen, as shown and set forth.

2. The combination, with a body or plate having attached thereto a stencil-sheet, substantially such as described, adapted to move up and down in suitable ways, of a liquidtank and base-plate, and means for conveying a strip of paper, &c., through said liquidtank and over said base-plate, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a body or plate having attached thereto a stencil-sheet, substantially such as described, adapted to move up and down in relation to a base-plate, of a liquid-tank and squeezer-rolls N N, and means for conveying a strip of paper, &c., through said tank, between said squeezer-rolls and over said base plate, substantially as de scribed.

I. In a manifold printing or transferring apparatus, the combination of a platen reciprocating in suitable ways and having an imprinting stencil-sheet upon its face, an opposite bedplate, a paper-roller, and a suitable dampening-tank and rollers for dampening and squeezing the strip or web of paper unwound from said roller at one side of the bedplate, and feed-rollers at the other side of the bed-plate, as shown and set forth.

5. In a manifold printing or transferring apparatus, the combination, with a reciprocating platen having an imprinting-sheet upon its face and an opposite bed-plate, of aliquidtank at one side of the bed, having a guideroller within it, squeezingrollers above the tank, and two feed-rollers at the opposite side of the bed-plate bearing against each other, as shown and set forth.

6. In a manifold printing or transferring apparatus, the combination of the bed-plate having the tank at one side, the platen reciprocating against the bed in suitable ways, the revolving drive-shaft having the eccentricdisk having its strap pivotally connected to the platen, the paper-roller and guide and squeezing rollers at the tank, and the feed rollers at the opposite side of the bed having belt-connection to the drive-shaft, as shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two witnesses.

(IIARLES A. THOMPSON.

\V itnesses:

CHAS. R. CLARKE, IVM. SEARS BELLoWs. 

